We Fired the Real Guns of the Old West

The real guns of the Old West are some of the most recognisable and iconic firearms from history. From the Colt Single Action Army to the Winchester 1873 rifle, the weapons that were once the choice of Wild West outlaws like Jesse James are familiar to a new generation of history fans through games like Red Dead Redemption.

History Hit presenters Louee Dessent and Luke Tomes head to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds for a Wild West shootout. Joined by curator and firearms historian Jonathan Ferguson, they test their accuracy with three iconic Wild West guns: the Colt revolver, Winchester rifle and shotgun.

First up, they fire the Colt Navy 1861 and Colt SAA revolvers, six-shooters favoured by notorious outlaws like Jesse James as well as lawmen.

Next, it's the iconic Winchester 1873 repeating rifle, made famous by its rapid fire lever-action mechanism.

Finally, the competition is decided by the shotgun. Jonathan uses a sawn-off while Luke and Louee use a modern over-and-under.

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00:00 Introduction
02:15 Meeting Jonathan Ferguson
04:34 Wild West history
05:24 Wild West revolvers
08:44 Shooting the Colt SAA
10:20 Shooting the Colt Navy
15:38 Winchester rifle
18:37 Shooting the Winchester 1873
23:48 Wild West shotgun
27:28 Firing shotguns
29:38 Final scores